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Chrissy Teigen, to me, is an near perfect human. She is hilarious, gorgeous and cooks like a person who actually loves to eat. Her cookbook ‘Cravings’ is on of my favorites. It reads like a comedy and cooks like a boss. Her recipe for Jok Moo has become a favorite comfort food of mine. Its a rice porridge with the flavor of pork dumplings… I’m sorry WHAT. Just try it.

First! Rinse and drain the rice with cold water and then transfer to a soup pot. Add 12 cups of water and the bouillon cubes (or salted stock). Bring to a boil and cook until the rice is soft and broken down into a porridge, about 45 minutes. It looks weird. Just go with it. MAKES THE BALLS OF LOVE! In a medium bowl, combine the pork, garlic, soy sauce and salt and pepper.MAGIC! When the rice is a porridge like consistency, take a pinch of the pork between your fingers and drop it into the pot, repeating for all of the pork mixture. Again feels weird, just go with it. LAST TOUCHES Add the ginger and cook until the pork bites are cooked through, about 5 minutes. You can thin the porridge with high quality H2O if needed. Season to taste with kosher salt and stir in the scallions and cilantro.

To me, summertime is fresh seafood, seasonal vegetables, and cold cheerwine. Every summer my Daddy does a shrimp boil (low country boil, frog more stew). We cover a table with newspaper and dump a pot of goodness right into the center. No plates. Silverware optional. Spicy horseradish. Happiness.

No matter how many mouths you need to feed the process is the same! Just get a bigger pot.

sHRIMP BOIL

1/2 lb wild caught shrimp

3 red potatoes

2 ears of corn

1 kielbasa sausage

Old Bay seasoning packet

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Once boiling add the potatoes and old bay – cook for 10 minutes (until just tender). After 10 minutes add the corn and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Then toss in the sausage and cook for 3 minutes. Finally toss in the shrimp and cut the heat! Stir them and let them cook in the residual heat. They’re done when they’re floating and a beautiful pink.

Can a sandwich be sexy? Yes. With some creamy brie, fancy herbs and a sweet zing from preserves this grilled cheese is quite frankly x-rated. The real kicker here is the herbs de provence. They’re a sublime combination of lavender, thyme, rosemary, angel tears, unicorn tail and love. You can find them already mixed up in the spice aisle!

Sexy grilled cheese

Apricot preserves ( or fig – whatever you fancy)

Brie cheese

Herbs de provence

Bread (I typed beard first – lolz)

BUTTER (literally duh)

We’re making a sandwich – pretty basic. Slather some preserves on each side, add some slices of brie and put it together. Butter each side of the bread and sprinkle 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of the HDP on each side.

Heat a skillet to medium high – add a small pad of butter and a half swirl of olive oil to the pan. Toast each side to your liking.

I can’t remember when I first tried Chilaquiles. I feel like maybe it’s always been a part of soul. I am part chilaquiles. Kyndlequiles. ANYWHO. It’s a pretty simple concept: crispy tortilla, flavorful sauce, and a protein. The real variation comes with what sauce or salsa is used. I make a quick, simple but crazy delicious warm salsa. But you can also do a mole, verde or store bought enchilada sauce! Leggo.

Chilaquiles bake

2 cups water

2 serrano peppers

1 jalapeno (seeded or unseeded. You’re spice call)

2 big tomatoes

1/2 onion

5 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup cilantro

1 lb ground beef

2 eggs

2 cups corn tortilla chips

1.5 cups mozzarella cheese

blender!

Preheat the oven to 375.

Salsa! Turn the broiler on high. Chop tomatoes into large chunks, separate onion layers, and if they’re unseeded poke each pepper with a knife (or they will explode). Spread on a sheet tray and broil until the begin to get some color – watch them!!! Get a sauce pan on the stove – add the water, broiled veg, garlic, and cilantro. Bring mix to a boil until everything in the party softens. You can then use an emersion blender or legit blender to blitz it down. Return to the sauce pan and simmer until it has reduced by 25%. You want a pretty thick salsa. Add a pinch of salt!

Whip two eggs in the bowl – toss in the chips! Gently fold so that every chip is coated in egg.

Brown off the beef! Pour of excess grease.

ASSEMBLE! In an oven safe dish begin to pile: chips, meat, salsa, cheese. I like to do two layers which turns this into a casseroleish deal. Bake for 20 mins until the cheese melts. Top with sour cream, avocado and cilantro.

xoxo•Kyndle

I love a brownie. Especially the fudgey, slightly undercooked ones. But, spoiler alert, I use boxed brownie mix…. always. And quite frankly, I can’t tell the difference in a homemade brownie and a $3 boxed mix. BUT a decent boxed blondie mix isn’t so easy to come by. So I’ve had to find a homemade version that suits. Once again browned butter makes this easy treat shine. They’re the perfect mix up to your typical chocolate chip cookie or brownie night.

Browned Butter Blondie

1 and 1/4 cup cold butter

3/4 Granulated Sugar

1 and 1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 T vanilla

3/4 t Sea Salt

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

3/4 t baking soda

2 and 3/4 cup AP flour

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350! Line and grease a 9×13 pan.

In a small sauce pan brown 1 cup of the butter. (Remember melt, foam, brown – wait for the nutty smell!). Put the remaining 1/4 cup butter in your mixing bowl. Add the browned butter and begin to mix. This cold butter with help temper the heat from the hot browned butter!

Once all the butter has melted, add the sugars, vanilla and salt. Mix until combined. Add the eggs + yolks and blend. Toss in the baking soda and add the flour. (I recommend adding the flour 1 cup at a time and scaring down the sides.)

Fold in the chocolate chips! Pour into the greased dish and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.

xoxo•Kyndle

Let’s face it- eating out at lunch time is fab. It requires zero planning and it’s always yummy. BUT it also gets spendy and you can’t control the calories. Here’s my go quick lunch. Be sure to use a small avocado! There is such thing as a too much of a good thing….

Avocado Tuna Salad

1 pack or can of tuna

1 small ripe avocado

1 T chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon diced jalapeño

Dash of red wine vinegar

Juice of one half of a lime

1 good pinch of course salt

Pepper to taste

Dice the avocado like normal but try to leave a small rim of avocado still intact along the entire peel. Mix all ingredients including your diced avocado together -the avocado will act as your binding fat- giving it that mayo feel! Serve back in the avocado! Yummmmmm

I’ve never met a sweet I didn’t like. Or a time when I was like “oh nah i don’t want that bowl of ice cream”. But my roommate Hannah, being the picture of physical fitness and epic self restraint, doesn’t indulge much. Tonight however, all that deprivation caught up to her and the woman needed a gosh darn cookie. I was more than happy to help…

Browned butter & sea salt chocolate chip cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 1/2 cup AP flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar sugar

2 eggs

1 t salt

3/4 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1 t vanilla

2 cup chocolate chips (I like it chocolatey, use your discretion)

Preheat the oven to 350!

In a small sauce pan add the butter. Now, to brown the butter you’re going to watch it melt, the bubble, then froth, the brown. Your job is to simply whisk the butter regularly until it changes to a brownish color with a nutty smell. Ive linked a youtube video to show you how.

See! Easy. Once the butter is ready – make your cookies! Cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and blitz. Lastly add all the dry ingredients, be sure to scrape down sides of the bowl. Stir in the chip by hand.

Scoop dough onto a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with a pinch of course sea salt or fleur de sal. Bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes. This leaves them quite gooey in the center but thats how I like them.

Spoiler alert: I’m a tad bit southern. And with that comes a deep love of all things pimento cheese. My mom used to pack me a half a pimento cheese sandwich almost every day for lunch. Stan’s has always been my favorite brand but I’ve started making my own and it’s so easy! Here’s how it’s done:

Pimento Cheese

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sharp grated cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Monetary jack

1/2 cup mayo (Duke’s if you can)

3 T pimentos chopped

1 t grated onion

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pep

1/4 t garlic powder

In a blender beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth! If you like a chunkier texture you can skip the blender. Add jalops if you like it spicy.

Spread on a cracker, sandwich, burger or spoon. NOM

xoxo•Kyndle

I believe in giving into food cravings – but in a smart way. While I love good take out I also love to make delicious, less salty versions at home! This week I needed chicken lettuce wraps. Crunchy water chestnuts, sweet and salty sauce wrapped up in cold lettuce – nom. It was surprisingly easy and delicious.

Chicken (or turkey) Lettuce Wraps

1 lb ground chicken (or turkey if like me you can’t find chicken. A ground bird is a ground bird)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can water chestnuts, drained

3 cloves of garlic chopped

2 t fresh ground ginger

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

2 T low sodium soy sauce

1 T rice wine vinegar

Salt to taste

Butter lettuce!

Brown the meat! Add Hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, onion, ginger, and garlic! Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring regularly. Once the onions are cooked and liquid begins to thicken into a sauce, add the water chestnuts and green onions! Stir to coat and serve in each lettuce cup!

You can add more hoisin/soy/vinegar if you want more sauce! Yummy

xoxo•Kyndle

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE THING. Seriously y’all this recipe could not be more simple OR more delicious. Had I know how little prep time or effort it took to make this soup I would have taken a whack at it years ago. Italian Wedding Soup gets its name from the perfect marriage of flavors. And if I could, I’d marry it. The meatballs freeze! So make a double batch and save them for next time.

Italian Wedding Soup

12 cups chicken stock (I’m not Ina, you can use store bought)

1 package of frozen spinach

1 cup acini de pepe (a tiny pasta, if you can’t find it orzo is an okay substitute.)

8oz ground beef

8oz proud pork

1 small onion grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 grated parm

1/3 cup cropped parsley

1 big egg

1 t salt

1/2 t pep

Mix ingredients 4-13 together! Use your hands, it makes you feel Italian. When you have a cohesive mixture begin to roll into little meatballs. I like to do little micro meatballs for this soup. Set them aside.

In a large pot, add stock and spinach. Bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling begin to add the meatballs. Be sure to give it a good stir so they don’t stick together. When the meatballs begin to cook and change color, pour in all the pasta.

Cook for about 20 minutes on medium high! Meatballs will be cooked through and the pasta will be perfect BBs of love. Top with a grate of parm and a sprinkle of parsley.